Bears as Predators ~

[brotherbear]

Continued from post #124...
With the American period, which began with the gold rush, came a change in the attitude bear-and-bull fights. The fights, which had been rooted in the traditions of Spain and were an integral part of the fiestas and religious holidays of Spanish California, now were cheapened and commercialized for the benefit of the newcomers. In all sincerity, a Spanish Californian could say that "A bull and a bear  fight after the sabbath services in church was indeed a happy occasion. It was a soul-refreshing sight to see the growling beasts of blood" ( Bancroft, 1888 ). But to the American of those days - who did not care a whit for the traditions of California, and who could not comprehend the Spaniard's emotional association of religion, violence, and blood - a bear-and-bull fight was a disgusting spectacle. He believed that anyone who attended such a fight did so because of curiosity or a depraved lust for the sordid and sensational. A newcomer to California said, "A bull and bear fight is of all exhibitions... the most cruel and senseless" ( Marryat, 1855 ). Reply